OCR

Free Among the Dead 151
for some inexplicable reason had not wished Esther
to learn before sailing. “H’m,” thought Esther,
“pity I didn’t know this!" She looked around at
the two study-tables, two lamps and two arm-
chairs, almost the whole furniture of the room, and
began to laugh. The stupid chair butting its nose
against the table as maids always will leave study
chairs, taunted her with the unnecessary assurance
that Sydney would never occupy it.
The man in question, curiously enough, Esther
had once known rather well. Her brother had been
in the same class at Harvard, since whose death
some years before she had scarcely seen him. But
she had not heard of his meeting Sydney. He was
a politician by trade, a lawyer by profession. He
belonged in the Middle West.
Esther felt rather sick and very angry; Sydney at
least needn't have made a fool of her! Still, she
could see the comedy.
“Hello!” rang up a fine, strong voice below,
and turning in the window-seat she saw on the
grass brown sturdy Hilda Railton springing off her
bicycle, rather warm and very pleased to see her.
“ l'm coming up. My room is down the hall. Let’s
have some tea! "
When the kettle had boiled Hilda remarked, as
she shovelled in the tea: “So you’re going in for